===================
JPMORGAN CHASE OPEN
(Los Angeles, California, USA; outdoor hard; WTA Tier II)
=================== http://www.jpmorganchaseopen.com/

Daniela was runner-up at this tournament last year, but this year
she was upset in the last 16 by the then-ranked #110 Serena Williams.

It's ironic that Daniela had upset Williams at the Australian Open -
where Williams was the defending champion - also in the third round.
That defeat cost Williams a few places in the WTA-rankings (from #15
to #39).

And Williams's revenge has sent Daniela's ranking plummeting from
#17 all the way down to #18. This could make the difference between
Daniela being seeded to reach the fourth round or the third round of
the US Open, depending on how many higher-ranked players withdraw.

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Photos
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http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=hantuchova

Search Getty Images for "hantuchova"

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Second round (Wednesday 9th August)
------------

+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [7] d. Lisa Raymond, 7-6 (7/2) 6-2

Daniela served 8 aces!

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Third round (Thursday 10th August)
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- DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [7] lt. Serena Williams [WC], 6-1 3-6 3-6

Williams went into this tournament having played only two
tournaments in eleven months, due to a knee-injury. At the
Australian Open, she looked unfit and overweight, and Daniela beat
her 6-1 7-6 in the third round.

But Williams looks altogether fitter in recent photos than she did
in January. She stormed into the semi-finals of Cincinnati - her
comeback-tournament - with a 6-2 6-2 upset of Anastasia Myskina in
the first round. She was beaten only by Vera Zvonarëva - Vera's form
is so hot at the moment, and so too is the way she's been performing
in recent tennis-tournaments! ;-)


www.wtatour.com:
>>>
An in-form Hantuchová was not Williams' only hurdle. Towards the end
of a lopsided first set, she also took a fall while chasing down a
ball, subsequently getting her left ankle taped by the trainer
during a time-out [between sets]. And after going down a break in
the first game of the second set, things didn't seem too promising.

But the former world No.1, who is playing her second tournament back
after a six-month knee injury lay-off, hung tough, winning four
consecutive games in winning the second set and breaking late in the
third en route to winning the match, 16 63 63, in one hour, 50
minutes.
<<<

Mark Lamport-Stokes (Reuters):
>>>
Seventh-seeded Hantuchová took full advantage of an erratic Williams
to breeze through the opening set before the twice champion raised
her game.

After breaks of serve were traded at the start of the second set,
Williams again broke the Slovakian in the fourth game, and held on
to level the match.

Williams, unleashing a series of ferocious backhand winners, broke
her opponent in the seventh game of the deciding set before holding
serve to clinch her fourth win over Hantuchová in five career
meetings.
<<<


Daniela quotes
--------------

"I felt like I was in control, but I let her get back. She started
to go for her shots more, and cut down on her unforced errors. Until
then, I felt I was doing all the right things.

"I felt like I was in control, and in the third I had the chances to
finish the point, but I think I aimed it too much at the lines. I
have to give her the credit for the way she was serving. I think she
is moving much better, and she is serving really, really well. She
just needs a few more matches to be 100%."

[Did she really need to take the medical time-out?]
"No, I don't think so, but of course that's her call."

[Re. on-court coaching]
"The cheating is out of control. I've gone up to umpires during
matches and said, 'How come you can't hear this when I can?' There
are signals and words instructing the players. I've complained about
it, but it doesn't matter."


Williams quotes
---------------

"The first set was definitely a nightmare. I felt that I got off to
a slow start. I never felt out of it, but I was making some errors.

"I felt like I got off to a slow start, but I thought from the
beginning, after I lost the first set, that it would go three sets.
If it had to be three sets, I'm just glad I was able to come back
with a win.

"I don't feel I was impressive tonight. In the first set I made a
few errors, and was not playing well. But I am taking it one match
at a time; I have to keep moving forward.

"I don't feel like I was aggressive tonight at all. Maybe a little
bit into the match. I wasn't playing well at all.

"I love the crowd here. They were really behind me. They were
pushing me and it was really exciting."

[Re. her left ankle]
"I am notorious for rolling my ankle. I rolled it again, and it kept
rolling. It throbbed and it stung. I can't move it. Usually I have
to wait and see tomorrow, but it is a little sore tonight. I have to
ice it tonight, and I am not looking forward to that."

[Re. what Daniela said about the medical time-out]
"To be honest that's kind of childish. I obviously fell, and I was
kind of injured. It's a shame for somebody to take the low way out.
She's obviously upset over the loss.

"If she has more words to say, I would prefer for her to say them to
me. I'd be more than happy to settle it out of court."

[So will you confront Daniela about this?]
"What happens in the dressing-room stays in the dressing-room."

-------
Doubles
-------

DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ/SUGIYAMA,AI [3]:
1r + Marion Bartoli/Shahar Peer, 6-4 6-3
qf + Ana Ivanovic/Maria Kirilenko [WC], 7-6 (7/2) 6-2
sf + Corina Morariu/Nadia Petrova, 7-6 (7/3) 6-3
_f - Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suárez, 3-6 4-6

Daniela and Ai have won three WTA doubles-titles together:
Birmingham 2005, Doha 2006, Rome 2006. They were also runners-up at
the French Open 2006, but this was their first final (or even semi-
final) since then.


California, rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California, show your teeth
She's my priestess, I'm your priest

[Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dani California"]

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/hantu/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/danielahantuchova/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/